"Another mine job?" Ed frowned at the folder even as he tossed it back onto Roy's desk. "How many damn mines do we have in this country?"

Roy chuckled. "Enough to keep alchemists in all the supplies they need, and to keep trade alive and well, Fullmetal."

"Aren't my skills better used elsewhere?" Ed tapped the folder with a solid finger. "Oh, let me guess. There's someone fomenting rebellion, or you've heard news that they're transmuting gold into lead and while that's not technically the purpose of the no-gold law, it counts, or..."

Shaking his head, Roy cut off his further comments with a raised hand. "I'd rather you go into it unbiased, actually."

Ed threw his hands up. "Fine! Fine, you shitty Fuhrer, whatever. I'll go, walk into this shit blind, and if the mission suffers for it, it's not my fucking loss."

"Thank you, Fullmetal." Roy smirked at him, folding his fingers on the desk.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Ed waved a hand. "I'll be heading out shortly -- mind if I stop by your place to check on my brother first?"

"Please. Be my guest."

***

They'd restored Al a year earlier, and he was a lot healthier now than he was then. At the time, the shock of getting his body back had left him stunned -- more than that, while his body had aged on the other side of the door, his muscles had severely atrophied. He was still Al, still Ed's brother, and once the initial shock of sense had passed, he'd been normal, perfectly normal, but his body hadn't wanted to respond to anything but sense.

He'd needed a place to stay that was more comfortable, less claustrophobic than the dorms, and so Roy had offered to take him in. Ed hadn't been sure, but Al had nodded, flushed a little, and said, "He's always taken care of us."

It wasn't quite the truth, but as far as it went it was okay, Ed had thought.

As time had passed, Al had gained some of his strength back through regular exercise -- training the body to train the mind, like their teacher had always said. He was much better than he could have been, and had managed to best Ed in a match or two, but he couldn't keep his energy up for too long. Going on missions with Ed was out of the question; he could only walk an hour before he needed to rest for five, and they couldn't afford that.

Ed unlocked Roy's door with his set of keys and headed up. "Hey, Al?"

So Al stayed home between missions, though he'd sworn to join Ed again as soon as he'd managed to build up his strength to something acceptable. "I swore we'd never be separated", Al had said. "And I meant it, Brother. We won't be. Not for good."

"Brother!" Al rose from an armchair and walked over, and Ed smiled to see it, because it was strong now, easy, free. There was an alchemy text clutched loosely in one soft grip. "What's going on?"

"New mission." Ed couldn't help himself, reached out to touch Al's shoulder, found it warm under his touch. "That shit Fuhrer couldn't give me an entire three weeks off in peace, after all."

Al chuckled. "Now, Brother," he said. "That's not fair. You know he would if he could, but he needs you to do these things."

"Yeah, I know." Ed reached out and tugged, once, on Al's ponytail; his hair had grown while his body had been behind the door. Al couldn't keep it as long and tangled as it had become, but he had only cut it to shoulder length, to match Ed's. "Miss you, though."

The return smile Al gave was slow and a bit wistful. "Me too, Brother."

"You okay at home with that shitty Fuhrer? If you're not--"

"It's fine," Al said, and flushed. "Ah, Brother..." His words came out reluctantly, a little awkward. "You know, ah -- he, and I--"

Ed blinked. "Al?"

"Uh, Fuhrer Mustang, he and I, since I got my body back, we, well--"

Unable to help himself, Ed flushed, glanced away. "Yeah," he said. "I know."

"Oh -- you hadn't said anything, so I didn't know if, um..."

Ed shrugged, almost violently. "He drives me crazy," he said. "He's too sarcastic to be that gentle, and too gentle to be that sarcastic. It's like he can't make up his fucking mind. But -- you've always been happy with his treatment."

"Brother?" Al seemed to be waiting for more.

Another shrug. "...that's it. You're happy."

Al's worried expression faded into a smile. "...yes."

"So don't worry about it. Anyway, what've you been studying?"

***

Ed left two hours later, after lunch that his brother had made and been able to eat and taste with him. He met Roy on the driveway.

"Ah, Fullmetal," Roy said.

"Aren't you off work a little early, you shithead?" Ed stuck his hands in his pockets. "You've got a country to run here, I know."

"I know," Roy said, dryly. "Thank you, mother."

Ed snorted. "Fuck you." He glanced back at the house. "You don't have to worry about Al, you know. He's fine with me going on missions. He trusts me."

"Still," Roy said, not denying it, "he can't go with you. He can't help but worry, so--"

"He'll be fine."

Roy shrugged and nodded, both at once. "Yes. He will." He didn't turn to head back to work.

Ed sighed, reached up to clasp Roy's shoulder. "...take care of him."

"You know I do."

"Whatever." Ed squeezed again, then shrugged. "Go in or go back to work, though, don't just stand in the driveway."

Roy took a step towards the house. "I'll expect your report within the week."

"If it's gonna take a week, then there was something you weren't telling me," Ed grumbled, turning away as he heard Roy chuckle, heard Roy move up the steps to the front door. "Asshole."

The sound of the door closing was his only answer.